Be like the president of Philippines: He stopped worrying when he met online gambling

Having railed against online gambling and electronic bingo pretty much every day since becoming President of the Philippines on 1st July, Rodrigo Duterte no longer seems quite so upset about cyber wagering.

Evidence of such appeared in a recent Reuters report. According to the news agency, Duterte has hinted that he might be willing to allow online gambling businesses to reopen providing they abide by certain conditions.

“I will restore online [gambling] provided taxes are correctly collected and they are situated or placed in districts where gambling is allowed, which means to say, not within the church distance or schools,” revealed Duterte in a news briefing.

“Pay the correct taxes… Gamble until you die. I do not really care,” added the President.

All very much at odds with Duterte’s earlier position that led the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (or PAGCOR) to revoke a total of 124 iGaming permits and turn down license renewal applications from 302 iGames and 324 eBingo outlets.

As for the beneficiaries of the President’s change of heart they include PhilWeb Corp whose huge iGaming network all but collapsed in the wake of the previous directive.

The firm formerly run by Roberto Ongpin is now looking forward to introducing a mobile phone-based lottery platform, the profits from which could run to several million dollars.

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